On February 16, crew members from a Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) helicopter and vessel received a call that left them on alert all morning: a passenger on the Québec–Lévis ferry had gone overboard and was stranded in the icy waters of the St. Lawrence River.

Every year, through the Atlantic Zone Monitoring Program (AZMP), Fisheries and Oceans Canada assesses the physical oceanography conditions in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The AZMP was implemented in 1998 with the aim of increasing Department’s capacity to understand, describe, and forecast the state of the marine ecosystem and to quantify the changes in the ocean’s physical, chemical and biological properties. This information is essential to ensure the sound management of the St. Lawrence ecosystem, conserving resources and protecting the marine environment for future generations.

Experts of the Canadian Coast Guard in Quebec are currently developing a prototype of a new generation of 4-season light buoys. These buoys will help mariners confirm their position more easily in difficult conditions, further reducing the risk of grounding and collision on the St. Lawrence River.

In September-October 2014, four scientists from the Maurice Lamontagne Institute, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, took part in a major investigation of the effects of ocean acidification on phytoplankton, the microscopic single-celled plants at the base of the marine food web. The Department team joined a group of scientists and students from the Institut des sciences de la mer de Rimouski (ISMER), Laval University, the Institut national de recherche scientifique – eau, terre, environnement (INRS-ETE), and McGill University, under the umbrella of the inter-institutional research organization Québec-Océan and financed by the Fonds de recherche du Québec - nature et technologies (FRQNT) and Fisheries and Oceans Canada.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is currently considering the possible listing of the killer whale (Northwest Atlantic-Eastern Arctic population) and the bowhead whale (Eastern Canada - West Greenland population) as species of special concern under the Species at Risk Act.

A sea kayak expedition could have ended in disaster on August 26, 2015, if the Canadian Coast Guard had not been there to lend a helping hand.

When constructing, repairing and refurbishing engineering infrastructure in aquatic environments, developers must comply with the Fisheries Act, which aims to ensure the sustainability and continued productivity of commercial, recreational and Aboriginal fisheries. It is obvious that when a structure that encroaches on the sea floor is built, fish habitat will be altered or destroyed, affecting the productivity of the environment. To avoid these impacts, the only solution would be not to build the structure in question, which is often essential to the common good. But what about coastal roads, docks, riprap and storm walls?

Fisheries and Oceans Canada will soon hold a consultation on the Eastern Canada Coral and Sponge Conservation Strategy. For this consultation, the Department will target different stakeholders from the fishing, shipping, mining and oil industries, as well as non-governmental organizations, First Nations, and federal and provincial departments.

Fisheries and Oceans Canada is considering adding three fish species to the List of Wildlife Species at Risk. Interested individuals and organizations are invited to share their point of view until February 27, 2015.